The Pen of a Ready Writer... and Social Media

Why do so many people feel the need to air their grievances on social media? Very recently I saw a status which especially caused me some concern. And I say especially because in the same post the person was first cursing someone, then praising God. Remembering that there was a verse of Scripture that specifically spoke about that, made me realize that this is not a ‘now’ problem but one that has perpetuated over centuries and we humans still don’t get it. I immediately searched for the verse, and found it in the book of James. 

“We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people. And God made them like Himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My brothers, this should not happen.” – James 3:9-10 (ICB) 

Isn’t it amazing that James would have felt the need to write about this thousands of years ago, around AD 48 to be exact, and the practice continues to this day. Obviously God Himself found it necessary to address this problem and so used James to deliver a message that expressly states that we’re not to curse people, who God has created in His own image, on the one hand and turn around praising God on the other – curses and praises ought not to issue from our mouths. 

God’s Word also states that our words can achieve anything or destroy everything. We really do not understand the power of our words and the recklessness of our tongues. 

Scripture tells us that our tongues are deceitful, treacherous, mischievous, wicked, deadly, like a small fire, restless, must be kept from evil, unruly, used as weapons of destruction, must be guarded, can lead us into sin, and are the pens of a ready writer. 

Scripture also tells us that our tongues can be used to sing praises, build up, utter God’s righteousness, speak the Word, be filled with joyful shouting, used to sustain the weary, swear allegiance to the Lord, utter wisdom, speak justice, confess that Jesus is Lord, can bring healing, flatter, lift up, instill life and are the pens of a ready writer.

Did you notice that I wrote “are the pens of a ready writer” in both lists? It wasn’t a mistake. You see David, in Psalm 45 verse one, lets us know that when beautiful words stir our hearts, that’s what we’ll write about, and Jesus, in Matthew 15:18 said, “whatever comes from the mouth has come out of the heart”, so that, in the same way, when our hearts are stirred by evil thoughts, that is what we’ll write about.

Verse 19 of The Message Bible translation goes on to say, “It’s from the heart that we vomit up…cussing.”

Too often I’ve observed persons who identify themselves as Christian, when offended, choose the route of social media to let it be known. They have this misguided belief that it’s alright to say whatever they want via social media, using this avenue as their personal journal to vent whatever they feel about their offender, not quite understanding the consequences of such an action. But Proverbs 18:21 makes it quite clear, 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those that love it shall eat its fruit.” (JUB)

Simply put, whichever your tongue produces, death or life, you will eat it. Some of you may be saying, that’s Old Testament, well this is New Testament, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6 - NIV). Let us all meditate on that for a while.

This is the thing, if you are calling yourself a Christian taking your fight to social media is certainly not the thing to do. Instead go to your Bible and search the Scriptures and let the Word of God be your guide. 

Let us consider some Bible verses that deal with offense and take it from there:

• Matthew 18:15 (Voice) 

Jesus: “…go to him, in private, and tell him just what you perceive the wrong to be.”

• Proverbs 19:11 (Voice)

“A person…gains respect by overlooking an offense.”

• 2 Timothy 2:24, 25 (Voice)

“…you shouldn’t exhaust yourself in bickering; instead, be gentle—no matter who you are dealing with—ready and able to teach, tolerant without resentment, gently instructing those who stand up against you.”

• Proverbs 17:9 (CEV)

“You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.”

The truth is, God does not want us to take offense, and if we happen to, He certainly does not want us to deal with it by broadcasting it to the world. Take it to God and to the person – it is a private matter.

The Pen of a Ready Writer...and Social Media    Shelley Johnson 8-Aug-2016